If a file of 2600 bytes on a hard disk uses 512-byte sectors, how many sectors are normally allocated to the file?

If a file of 2600 bytes on a hard disk uses 512-byte sectors, how many sectors are normally allocated to the file?

• A. 4 Sectors
• B. 5 Sectors
• C. 7 Sectors
• D. 6 Sectors

Answer: (D)

Sectors are the basic units used to store data on a disk, and file systems allocate space in whole sectors (or larger units that are multiples of sectors). To find how many sectors a file needs, divide the file size by the sector size and round up to the next whole sector. Here, 2600 bytes divided by 512 bytes per sector equals 5.078125, so you round up to 6 sectors. Six sectors provide 3072 bytes of space, which is enough for the 2600-byte file, whereas five sectors would only offer 2560 bytes and would be insufficient. Therefore, six sectors are allocated.

Sectors are the basic units used to store data on a disk, and file systems allocate space in whole sectors (or larger units that are multiples of sectors). To find how many sectors a file needs, divide the file size by the sector size and round up to the next whole sector. Here, 2600 bytes divided by 512 bytes per sector equals 5.078125, so you round up to 6 sectors. Six sectors provide 3072 bytes of space, which is enough for the 2600-byte file, whereas five sectors would only offer 2560 bytes and would be insufficient. Therefore, six sectors are allocated.